Engine-governor.



J. L. OSBORNE.

ENGINE GOVERNORv APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1913.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

bfglm I to axial movement 30 is fixed to the upper end stitutes a bearing-surface, normal to the axis of the slee e 17, against which the rollers are pressed 111 consequence of the centrifugal movement of the weights, so that the weights tend to force the sleeve to the right with a force proportionate to their speed of rotation. This movement of the sleeve constantly opposed by spring 19, which is coiled about the sleeve and which is seated, at its right-hand end, against the rear wall 20 of the casing as shown in Fig. 2. The sleeve 17 is confined on the hub t5, and is caused to rotate in unison with the hub and the centrifugal mechanism. by means of a roller 21, which is journaled on a pin fixed in the sleeve and is seated in a lougit-udinal slot in the hub 45. The longitudinal movement of the sleeve is transmitte a helical compression through suitable connections, to the tl'irottle- E valve 9, by the engagement of the right-hand end. of the sleeve with the end ot a sleeve 18. This sleeve is mounted loosely upon a third sleeve 23, which constitutes the bear- 1 mg and support for the drive-shatt the bearing-sleeve 23 is supported, in the may ner, described in said patent, upon two columns 24 and 25 projecting upwardly from the valve-casing the bearing-sleeve being engaged s studs '27, which ire mounted ir a forked head 26 pivoted upon the upper end ot the column 25. The sleeve 18 slotted, a. shown in Fi s. 1 and 2, for the passage of the pivot-studs, and by this arrangement the sleeve 18 isprevented from rotating, while free to move longitudinally, in consequence of the thrust imparted toit by the movement of the sleeve 17, as above described,

As in the governor of my said patent the upper end of the valve-stem 8 is fixed to a short shaft 28 which is journaled vertically in a bracket 29 on the column 25. An arn he shaft the free end of this arm engages 2'8, and one end at its middle, on a in 89- fixed in a bracket 33 on the bottom oi the sleeve 18. The opposite end of the lever 31 abuts against an arm 34k, which constitutes a part of the pressure-controlled mechanism of the governor. As this mechanism is not essential to-thc resent invention it is not particularly illustrated and described, the arm 3. being indicated merely as an abutment necessary to the operation of the lever in cooperatively connecting, the centrifugal mechanism with the throttleevalve.

A spring-pressed plunger 35, mounted in the ,arm 30, engages a bearing 36 on the bracket 29 and maintains the arms and the lever above described in constant'eng'age- 1 put with each other, While it also tends to move the throttle-valve to open position.

of a leverBl. This lever is pivoted,

lVhen the governor is in operation the cenl larly in F'o'. chored or trifugal force-oi the weights 13, transmitted abrough the sleeve 17, causes a sliding movement of the sleeve 18 toward the right, and this movement is transmitted, through the lever 31., to the arm 30, so as to swing this arm to the right or clockwise as shown in Fig. i, and thus close the throttle valve to a greater or less degree, according to the speed of rotation of the centrifugal mechanism.

The yielding connections between the centrifugal mechanism and the engine-actuated drive-shaft t which constitute the principal feature of the present invention, are shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. The driveshaft is not connected, as in my said patent, directly and rigidly with the rotary casing of the governor, but it is provided, at its left-hand end, with a cover-plate 37 which has a hub 38 keyed to the shaft. The hub 38 is provided, at its inner end, with a. portion 39 of volute form, which provides a seattor the inner coil of a spiral spring 40,, The inner end 41 of this spring is bent to'engage a perforation nthe hub, as shown particuthe spring being thus and to the hub. The outer end of the sprina is fixed to stud 1-2 which pro jects "from the front-plate ll of the casing.

The spring 44} constitutes the means by which the rota y movement of the driveshaft is traism'itted to the casing, and to the centrifugal mechanism. Accordingly, any momentary acceleration or retardation in the rotation of the (lriveshat't, consequent upon a similar variation in the enginespecd docs not produce a corres onding variation in the speed of the centri ugal mechanism, since the substantial inertia of this mechanism and of the casing causes such variation to be absorbed by the spring. OW- ing to its resiliency, therefore, the spring imparts a substantially uniform. torque to the parts driven thereby, so that momentary fluctuations in the speed of the engine do not cause any substantial effective movement of the governor-mechanism and of the throttle valve. To limit the action of the spring within a suitable range, the cover-plate 37 is provided, as shown inv Fig. 3, with two stoplugs or abutments 43, which are normally located equidistant from the stud 42, but which may be engaged, by the end of the spring surrounding this stud, to limit the torsion of the spring in each direction. The normal fluctuations in the engine-speed, which the springmechanism is designed to absorb, do not cause such engagement, however,

To prevent any oscillatory action which might result from regularly recurrent expansions and contractions of the spring 40, T employ a damping-device in the form of a frictional connection between the driveshattand the rotary casin To this end the cover-plate 37 is provided with a peripheral flange H, which engages the frontsurface of the cover-plate 11 as shown in Fig. The thrust between the sleeves 17 and 18 constantly forces the hub 36 and the casing along the driie-shaft 6 in a direction to mess the plate 11 against the flange 44, resulting in a friction which resists relative movement of the cover-plate and of the easing sutliciently to damp the action of the spring 40 and prevent any such oscillatory action, but which is not suliicient to prevent the substantial absorption by the spring of irregularities inthe rotative speed of the drive-shaft.

While I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a governor adapted for employ ment in connection with an air-compressor engine, it will be understood that it may be embodied in governors of other types, and that, in general, the invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbefore described. but may be embodied in various other forms withthe nature'of the invention as it is defined in the following claims.

l: claim 1. An engine-governor having, in combination, a rotary member adapted to be connected with, and rotated by, the engine to be governed; rotary centrifugal governingmechanism; a spring connecting said rotary member with said mechanism and yieldingly transmitting, rotary movement from the former to the latter; and frictional connections between said member and said mechanism for damping the relative movements permitted. by the spring.

2. An engine-governor having, in combination, a rotary membe adapted to be con mechanism; a spring connecting said rotary .member with said mechanism and yieldingly transmitting rotary movement from the former to the latter; frictional connections between said member and said mechanism, for damping the relative movements permitted by the spring; and means for limiting said movements positively.

3. An engine-governor having, in combination, a'rotary shaft; a casing loosely mounted on the shaft; centrifugal governing-mechanism inelosed within and actuated by the casing; a covenplate fixed to the shaft and having a peripheral flange engaging the end of the casing; and a spiral spring inclosed between the cover-plate and the casing and attached, at its ends, to these parts respectively.

4. An engine-governor having, in combination, a rotary shaft; a casing loosely mounted on the shaft; centrifugal governing-mechanism inclo'sed within and actuated by the casing; a cover-plate fixed to the shaft and having a peripheral flange engaging the end of the casing; a spiral spring inolosed between the cover-plate and the easing and attached, at its ends, to these parts, respectively; and means for holding the casing yieldingly in frictional engagement with said flange on the cover-plate.

JOHN L. OSBORNE.

' \Vitnesses:

FARNUM F. DoRsEY, D. GURNEE. 

